A health visitor job lost 'every 27 hours'

NHS workforce statistics show that 320 FTE jobs were lost in the year to September 2007, bringing a 14-year low for health visitor numbers.

Unite head of health Kevin Coyne said: ‘The government's plans to reinforce its family friendly agenda are being put in grave jeopardy as the health visitors and other specialist community nursing staff such as school nurses just won't be there.'

The union calculates that there were 400,000 fewer visits by health visitors over the past year, based on an assumption that the average health visitor makes 30 visits a week.